Although you don’t have to look long to find HBO’s The Wire heralded as the Best Series on Television, or The Best Drama at least, one thing the series is not, is new-viewer friendly. Trying to brief a first-timer looking to jump in at the season 5 premiere required some disclaimers, like “you know, there’s about a hundred reoccuring characters. It’s very dense.” I could have spared all that if I had known about this: in the spirit of the Seven Minute Sopranos, The Wire seasons 1 through 4 recapped and condensed to four-and-a-half minutes. Not long enough, but it’s something. (via Tuned In)

About the current season – there’s a lot of talk about the added newspaper element. Does it muddy the conclusion of the series? Are we not getting the face time with McNulty, Bunk, Bubbles, Omar, and the rest of The Wire’s core components that we need? Is David Simon more focused on delivering some well-aimed digs at his former employer, The Baltimore Sun, than he is of wrapping up every last bit of business in Baltimore?

— “I’m a little worried about the Baltimore Sun plot. I’ve had two brief conversations with David Simon…and my wife has had two long ones. In all four of those exchanges, Simon demonstrated an obsession with the Sun that bordered on monomania [that’s two].” – Slate

Related:

— Barack Obama on Omar: “I gotta say Omar’s a great character. That’s not an endorsement…He’s this gay gangster who only robs drug dealers, and then gives back. You know, he’s sort of a Robin Hood. And he’s the toughest, baddest guy on this show, but he’s gay, you know. And it’s really interesting. It’s a fascinating character.” – The Stranger

— “Last year, I learned a lot by watching a few episodes of The Wire with gang leaders in Chicago. So, a few weeks ago, I called a few respected street figures in the New York metro region to watch the upcoming fifth season. I couldn’t think of a better way to ensure quality control.” – NYT’s Freakonomics asks, “What Do Real Thugs Think of The Wire?” (via Day of the Quote, with more Wire discussion)